Great summary and report, thanks for posting.
To us, staying a bit back from the beach at Mayakoba was not such a big deal, as long as you know what to expect. Most of the day is spent at the beach or pool side in any event, not in the room, though an ocean view is always preferable to us. Nevertheless, the ocean views at Mayakoba, while very nice, aren't the same tropical ocean views that other beach locations have and which we find more beautiful.
One note: traveling to Mayakoba does push you to remain on the property, more or less, and that's all of them. PDC does not offer much and its restaurants are not very appealing, save for a few spots for some very good shrimp tacos, ceviche or grilled fish. Tulum is a nice trip for half a day. Otherwise, not much to see, frankly. Yet, for a short trip from the East Coast its a very good destination, and preferable to the Caribbean in many ways.